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Shock and Awe

by Chris Sorrenti


like watching a championship football game
play by play coverage and analysis –
replay after replay discussed in minute detail
non stop interviews of both sides
as the match progresses

on the edge of my seat – eyes glued to CNN
the primitive side of me
ready to pull out the peanuts and beer
as I cheer the home team on to Baghdad
each flash/explosion stirring a childlike sense of awe

while the civilized part of me - in shock
attempts to find its place amid the surreal
of how history once only seen after the fact
in newsreels and videotape
is now so easily delivered live

my final thought
as I turn the TV off for the umpteenth time
- perhaps naively -
and much unlike a real football game
“let there be few casualties”

© 2003
revised © 2015

840 hits as of December 2023


09/07/2015

Author's Note: Shock and Awe (technically known as rapid dominance) is a military doctrine based on the use of overwhelming power and spectacular displays of force to paralyze the enemy's perception of the battlefield and destroy its will to fight. Essentially, an updated version of Blitzkrieg. The doctrine was written by Harlan K. Ullman and James P. Wade in 1996 and is a product of the National Defense University of the United States. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shock_and_awe

Posted on 09/07/2015
Copyright © 2024 Chris Sorrenti

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